Found 47 collections related to United States -- Race relations

The W.E.B Du Bois collection consists of a small body of speeches, articles, correspondence, and related material primarily authored by Du Bois. Of special interest is a typescript, with editorial comments, of the first two chapters of Du Bois's autobiography Dusk of Dawn: An Essay Toward an Autobiography of a Race Concept (1940-1942). The collection also includes a typescript of an article entitled "Miscegenation" (1935). There are thirteen speeches and a book review, ranging in subject matter from "The Talented Tenth", a tribute to Dr. Carter F. Woodson, race relations, labor issues, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Mahatma Gandhi. One of the speeches, "What the Negro Wants in 1948", was delivered at a meeting of the NAACP. less

This collection consists of two minute books documenting the meetings of the Executive Committee of the Montgomery, Alabama Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), from February 22-August 29, 1955, and the Branch membership, January 9-December 12, 1955. Also included are loose sheets of notes taken at meetings but not recorded in the minute books; they include notes of an emergency Executive Committee meeting on December 13, 1955, referring to the Rosa Parks bus segregation incident. One prior bus segregation incident is also noted. Correspondence from the Youth Council of the NAACP, membership lists, and financial reports for the branch during this period are included. These minutes, particularly those of the Executive Committee, present a clear picture of civil rights activities in Montgomery at this time. less

In 1992 and 1993 City Lore coordinated an oral history project focusing on the Northern migration experience and the maintenance of southern folkways within New York City's African-American church community. Fifty men and women who migrated from the South to New York during the post World War II years were interviewed. Topics covered in the interviews include how and why individuals left the South (generally for economic reasons, not blatant racism and violence); their experiences adjusting to life in New York; their retention of Southern cultural practices (food, especially soul food, gospel music, crafts including quilting, worship practices and church activities); the individuals' ongoing connections to the South through regular family visits, homecoming, etc.; and their thoughts on moving back to the South (or for those few who had already moved from New York, they compared their lives in both areas). The informants recount their positive relations with other black families and with white neighbors in the South and school experiences with strict yet caring black teachers. Neighborhood life in Harlem, central Brooklyn and parts of Queens during the 1940's through the early 1960's were recounted, as well as discussions covering life up to the early 1990's during the time of the interviews is included. The New York City interviews were conducted by City Lore Project Director Ray Allen and the Virginia interviews were conducted by Dr. Marilyn White. less

The Republic of New Africa (RNA; also spelled Republic of New Afrika) was an African American separatist group founded in 1968. The Republic of New Africa collection includes a photocopy of the proposal "Anti-Depression Program of the Republic of New Africa to end Poverty, Dependence, Cultural Malnutrition, and Crime among Black People in the United States and Promote Inter-Racial Peace," letters written by Larry L. Edwards, a map, and two flyers. less

A social, political, and civil rights activist, Ida Guggenheimer was involved in a wide variety of causes and projects during her adult life. She was a member of the American Labor Party, and she was involved in the women's suffrage and trade union movements. She also participated in civil rights activities and lent her support to such causes as the trials of the Scottsboro Boys and Angelo Herndon. Her protege was Ralph Ellison, the author of Invisible Man, which is dedicated to Guggenheimer. The Ida Guggenheimer papers consist of correspondence and printed matter on Richard Wright and E. Franklin Frazier. The material regarding Wright concerns his writings and his withdrawal from the Communist Party of the U.S. Frazier was a prominent educator and sociologist. His correspondence with Guggenheimer relates mainly to an incident reported in the Black Dispatch and The People's Voice alleging that he had violated a labor organized boycott against a restaurant in Harlem that did not employ African Americans (1945). Other material peripherally relates to his career and the fight against racial segregation in Washington, D.C., during World War II. Five articles written by Frazier are included in this collection. Additionally, there is printed matter concerning the Lafargue Clinic, a mental hygiene clinic in Harlem. There is a limited amount of material on Guggenheimer herself, but there are some letters and biographical information. less

The Phelps-Stokes Fund Records contain administrative records including trustee and committee minutes, correspondence, memoranda, financial records, legal documents, speeches, reports, occasional papers, and printed material, such as pamphlets, brochures, clippings, articles, press releases and programs. Records concern the early work of the Fund in researching and supporting education for Africans and African Americans and improvement in housing conditions, through study commissions, reports, and project grants, as well as its engagement in contemporary debates concerning the philosophy and policies of Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois. To a lesser extent, the Fund provided early support for surveys of American Indian schools and administration, such as the 1928 Lewis Meriam study and the 1939 Navajo Indian study. Later endeavors included administering grants for conferences on race relations, exchange and training programs, cooperative programs with other foundations, government aid programs, and a number of cultural projects. less

Browne has been a prolific writer within his areas of expertise, i.e. American involvement in the Vietnam conflict, especially its impact on African-Americans, economics as it pertains to African Americans and to a lesser extent, to Africans. Most of his writings have been in the form of articles, letters to the editor and book reviews as well as writing and co-authoring several books. less

Personal papers, family and general correspondence, writings, field notes and research materials, working papers, office files and printed matter documenting Ralph Bunche's personal life and professional career, from his enrollment at the University of California to his retirement in 1971. less

William Haywood Burns was a civil rights activist, lawyer, educator and dean of the City University of New York Law School at Queens College. He is the author of The Voices of Negro Protest in America, published in 1963. A graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School, Burns served as legal counsel to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund Inc., from 1967-1969. He was one of the founding members and became the first director (1970-1973) of the National Council of Black Lawyers (NCBL), an organization that helped to acquit Angela Davis of murder and kidnapping charges that also represented other black political activists, including Black Panther members and Vietnam War resisters. Highly recognized for his work with the Attica prison uprising in 1971, Burns spent much of his career working tirelessly to recruit more people of color into the legal field, and was committed to educating lawyers about the complexities of representing underserved communities for the public good. Also active in the anti-apartheid for a quarter of a decade, Burns was a member of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers. During one of his trips to South Africa, he was killed by a speeding lorry. The Haywood Burns Papers is organized into seven series: Personal, Correspondence, Legal, Writings, City University of New York (CUNY), Subject Files and Organizations. The majority of the Papers represent Burns' legal work and the various organizations with which he was connected including the National Council of Black Lawyers, Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Community Service Society of New York, Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, National Lawyers Guild, ACLU's National Prison Project, New World Foundation, Twenty-First Century Foundation, and the Vera Institute of Justice. less

James Reese Europe, Jr., son of the well-known African-American musician James Reese Europe (1881-1919) and dancer Bessie Simms, was a seaman in the Merchant Marines during World War II. In 1942 the Marine Firemen's, Oilers, Watertenders and Wipers Association attempted to have Europe discharged in direct violation of Presidential Order 8802 of the Fair Employment Act. With the support of the War Manpower Commission and many on board the ship, Europe was permitted to continue in his position. Over time he moved up from wiper (entry-level position) to deck engineer, and with his captain's recommendation he attended officer's candidate school and returned to sea as an ensign in the U.S. Maritime Service. By the time of his discharge in 1946, Europe had been promoted to lieutenant and had received recognition for his work in the Middle East, Pacific and Atlantic war zones. The James Reese Europe, Jr. Papers consists primarily of photocopies of documents related to a case of discrimination during World War II in direct violation of Executive Order 8802, involving James Reese Europe, Jr. and the Marine Firemen, Oilers, Watertenders and Wipers Association in San Francisco (1942). Several documents provide the details of the case from the perspective of the Bay Area Council Against Discrimination, which assisted Europe in presenting his case to the Committee on Fair Employment Practices and to the War Manpower Commission. The union's viewpoint is also represented. Included are originals and copies of certificates, awards, and discharge papers, in addition to letters and documents dealing with his termination from the New York City Police Department on charges of alleged subversive activities related to the aforementioned discrimination case. less

In 1963, Robert Stein, as field manager for the Chicago Ethical Society's Commission on Race and Equality, oversaw "Creative Inter-Racial Recreational Programs" such as Inter-Racial Vacations (summer camps in the North for Southern African American children), tutorial programs, and remedial classes for adult African Americans and whites. The Robert and Anita Stein papers document the efforts of the American Ethical Union to further interracial harmony in the South through social interaction: seminars, tutorials, and summer camps for African American children. less

Research files on organizations, individuals, and subjects collected for Kennedy's books, I RODE WITH THE KU KLUX KLAN (1954) and SOUTHERN EXPOSURE (1946), and newspaper and magazine articles. Includes correspondence, transcripts of articles, first person accounts of Klan meetings, notes, newspaper and magazine clippings, and printed material including publications. Subjects include the Klan in Georgia and Tennessee; Klan leaders such as J.B Stoner; the Columbians, a Georgia white power group; the Christian Americans and the right-to-work movement in the 1940s; and Georgia politics, including Eugene and Herman Tallmadge. less

One of the first black flight attendants, Patricia Banks, a native New Yorker, fought discrimination by filing a lawsuit against Capital Airlines through the New York State Commission Against Discrimination. A graduate of the Grace Downs Air Career School, Banks applied to several airlines companies for a stewardess position, but was repeatedly denied employment. In 1957 she filed a suit against Capital Airlines (which later merged in 1961 with United Airlines), and in 1960 the Commission ruled in her favor and ordered the company to hire her. She has been acknowledged by the Black Flight Attendants of America, Inc. and was featured in an WNBC News segment for being a pioneer in her field. Collection of documents relating to Patricia Banks and her groundbreaking legal case to become one of the first Black flight attendants. Collection includes newspaper clippings from 1957-1960, her flight attendant's certificate from Capital Airlines and a travel log. Also included is the transcript from her legal suit with the New York State Commission against Discrimination against Capital Airlines. Along with a video about Banks from WNBC News Black History Month, 1997, are print outs of digital photographs and the program booklet from the Black Flight Attendants of America, Inc.'s annual convention in 1999 where she was honored. less

Dr. Jean Sindab (1944-1996) was an African American scholar and activist for environmental, social, and racial justice. The Jean Sindab papers date from 1970 to 1995 and contain professional files that document subjects of interest to Sindab; organizations for which she worked; conferences that she organized or attended; and local, grassroots, and governmental initiatives related to environmental and racial justice in the United States, Latin America, and Africa. The collection also holds travel diaries and appointment books. less

The Angela Davis Legal Defense Collection is comprised of legal documents and other materials associated with the legal and political campaign to have Davis acquitted of all charges against her. The bulk consists of documents which reflect the legal actions taken prior to the change of venue from Marin County to San Jose, California. The rest of the collection relates to the activities mounted by various defense committees and other supporters to generate publicity and support for Davis. In addition, there is information on the Soledad Brothers, political prisoners and prisons in the United States. less

Papers covering Smythe's professional career centering upon research, writing, and university teaching in the fields of sociology and anthropology, with special emphasis on East Asian and African studies. Correspondence including that written about his fieldwork in Nigeria. Smythe's manuscripts for articles, books, book reviews, and speeches pertaining to Africa, Nigeria, Japan, and race relations in the United States. Preliminary data relates to Hugh and Mabel Smythe's book, THE NEW NIGERIAN ELITE (1960). Material relating to Smythe's professional interests and activities includes syllabi, bibliographies, and lecture notes pertaining to his teaching at Yamaguchi National University (Yamaguchi Daigaku) in Japan and Brooklyn College. Also included is material illustrating Smythe's extra-academic interests including United Nations affairs, Crossroads Africa, and civil rights activities. The papers of Mabel Smythe (Hugh Symthe's wife) include a scrapbook, manuscripts, and some correspondence. Of particular interest is her research material on segregation in education, which was used by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People legal staff in the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education barring segregation in public schools. Also, manuscripts of articles and speeches, and some correspondence by W.E.B. Du Bois including "Economic Illiteracy," 1947, and "Race Relations in the U.S.," 1948. less

Ted Poston was the first full-time African-American reporter for the New York Post, where he worked from 1936 covering many major black-oriented news stories, until his retirement in 1972. The Ted Poston Research Collection consists of biographical information about Poston and a transcript of an interview that Professor Luther P. Jackson did with Ted Poston on "interracial reporting" in October 1968. Most of the collection consists of typescripts of articles and columns written by Poston (1927-1971) collected and prepared by the donor, Kathleen Hauke. less

Heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson (1878-1946) was the first African-American boxer to win the heavyweight title. A controversial figure, Johnson was famous for the furor that surrounded his heavyweight championship, his flamboyant lifestyle, and his association with white women. His victory against retired boxer Jim Jefferies, who was referred to in the press as "the great white hope", triggered riots in many cities throughout the United States. Johnson lost his title in 1915 against white boxer Jess Willard, and continued to box until 1938, when he fought his last professional fight. The Jack Johnson Scrapbooks include numerous newspaper clippings and programs of his fights and the 1967 play, Great White Hope, which was based on his life. There is additional printed material with images of Johnson boxing with a variety of opponents such as Joe Jeannette, Jess Willard, Jim Jeffries, Sam Langford, Tommy Burns, and Sam McVey. The clippings cover all aspects of Johnson's life in and out of the ring, including his run for public office in Chicago. Other articles document his trial and conviction in 1913 for violating the Mann Act. Promotional material and reviews of Johnson's autobiography, Jack Johnson in the Ring and Out (1927), are included. less

Collection primarily relates to Pickens' work as NAACP Field Secretary and Director of Branches, and contains a great deal of correspondence with NAACP officials. Of interest is material chronicling Pickens' and the NAACP's involvement in the Scottsboro Case in Alabama. Correspondents relating to the NAACP include James Weldon Johnson, Walter Francis White, Mary White Ovington, Arthur B. Spingarn, Joel E. Spingarn, Roy Wilkins, Thurgood Marshall, and W. E. B. Du Bois. Other correspondence is between Pickens and friends, acquaintances, fellow scholars, and business associates. There is correspondence with many organizations with which Pickens was involved, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, League for Industrial Democracy, Socialist Party of America, National Council of the Young Men's and Women's Christian Association, American Committee for the Protection of the Foreign Born, and the Council for Pan American Democracy. Correspondents include Claude A. Barnett and Percival L. Prattis of the Associated Negro Press, and other individuals in government, education, and church affairs, among them John Haynes Holmes of the Community Church of New York. Writings are primarily composed of typescripts (manuscripts and editorials), speeches, and mimeographed Associated Negro Press columns and newspaper clippings of articles and editorials written by Pickens. Subjects dealt with in these different formats cover a wide range and serve to reveal Pickens' broad interests and intellectual scope. less

William Cumming Story kept these diaries (2 vols.) from October 1, 1867 through May 31, 1870 in Chicago, Illinois where he served as an usher at Crosby's Opera House while employed as a clerk in the banking office and paper store of A. C. Badger until March 1870, when he entered the employment of Lyon and Healy. Entries record the operas, plays, concerts, lectures, and other events that he attended at Crosby's Opera House, McVickars Theater, the Music Hall, and other places of amusement and include critical comments Story also describes the following, among other topics: a Republican demonstration celebrating the election of President Ulysses S. Grant; the Women's Rights Convention held at Library Hall on February 23, 1869; the celebration of the completion of the Union Pacific Railroad on May 10, 1869; the "Negro problem" in Washington, D. C. and throughout the country; the first presentation in English in America of Mozart's opera, "The Marriage of Figaro," on November 10, 1869; a visit to Janesville, Wisconsin for Christmas in 1869; labor troubles at mills in Batavia, Illinois in February 1870; the meanness and sordidness of the people of the day; sneers at the government by foreigners; comments on the protective tariff; the attitude of Chicago's public toward the legitimate theater; incidents of home life with his father, formerly of New Rochelle, New York, his stepmother, and his brother, Frank; and books he read. The diaries also include pen and ink drawings The first volume covers the period of October 1, 1867-September 30, 1868 and is numbered "No. 3." In the reverse of this volume is a calendar of events at Crosby's Opera House from March 29, 1867 through October 15, 1868; miscellaneous accounts, 1867-1868; and a list of books received from the Young Men's Association, 1867-1868. The second volume covers the period of October 1, 1868 through May 31, 1870. In the reverse of this volume is an account of receipts and expenses from January 1, 1869 through June 12, 1870 less

The Tyrone Pitts/NCC Papers are devoted primarily to the work of Tyrone Pitts as the NCC's Director for Racial Justice. This position was in the NCC's Division of Church and Society which was headed by Kenyon Burke. Pitts' role in the Racial Justice Working Group and the Ecumenical Minority Bail Bond Fund are particularly well documented. less

The Carnegie-Myrdal Study of the Negro in America research memoranda collection consists of twenty-nine memoranda prepared by the team of social scientists; letters from Frederick Keppel, president of the Carnegie Corporation, establishing the project; correspondence between Keppel and Gunnar Myrdal; memoranda of interviews with Myrdal and the social scientists who wrote the reports; and files for the Committee on Selection. less

Actor, Earl Sydnor appeared on and off-Broadway, on television, and in film. He began his acting career after performing with the New Jersey Federal Theatre Company. Throughout his career, he worked with Katherine Dunham, Ethel Waters, Henry Fonda, James Earl Jones, and Lou Gossett, Jr. in various plays such as "Cabin in the Sky," "Kiss The Boys Goodbye," "First Monday in October" and the films, "The Emperor Jones" and "Take A Giant Step." As a young man Sydnor wrote poetry and several of his poems were published in black literary magazines. Sydnor died on July 9, 1989. Papers documenting the acting career of Earl Sydnor. The papers are divided in two series, Personal and Professional, which include correspondence, biographical material, newspaper articles and reviews, and playbills. Additionally, there are two scrapbooks dealing with his acting career and service in the Army Air Force in 1943. A third scrapbook relates to his appearance, with his wife Virginia, in "The American Home" magazine in 1945, which became a controversial issue because the magazine had never featured blacks before. less

The D.C. Area Nonviolent Action Group (NAG) was a student organization at Howard University active in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s. NAG members participated in the Freedom Rides from Washington to Mississippi; contributed clothing, food, and medicine to Tennessee sharecroppers who had been forced off their land for voting in 1961; initiated and/or participated in civil rights demonstrations in North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Maryland; and maintained working relationships with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Congress of Racial Equality (C.O.R.E.). NAG's membership included civil rights figures Stokely Carmichael and H. Rap Brown (Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin). This collection (27 items) consists mainly of correspondence and minutes pertaining to the D.C. Area Nonviolent Action Group's (NAG) civil rights-related activities. Authors of letters include William Mahoney, NAG president; members Anne C. Wooten, Bernard Z. "Butch" Conn, and James Forman; and Julian Bond and Charles F. McDew of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. less

Arthur L. Woolfolk was a railroad labor union leader. He was the 1st Vice President of the Atchison, Topeka, and Sante Fe System Local in 1956 and Local Chairman of Sante Fe System Local in 1967, both of Denver, Colorado. The Arthur L. Woolfolk papers contain original and mimeographed letters between local and national officers, special bulletins containing constitutional changes about membership dues and officer eligibility; report of Train and Chair Car Committee on reducing worker hours, increasing membership, job stability, and employee railroad pass rights; a call to the Fifth Triennial Convention in Chicago, Illinois in September 1965 from A. Philip Randolph, International President; and a copy of the proceedings of the Colorado State Legislature of March 31, 1949 regarding locomotive employee and passenger safety. less